Overworked
by kisshuismylife
Summary: Kisshu's been overworking himself. What happens when he collapses in the middle of battle?


**Overworked**

Kisshu was getting tired of fighting the Mews, and it didn't help that he was overworking himself. It was pointless trying to convince Pai to form a truce, so Kisshu just kept attacking the Mews, sometimes with Pai and Taruto, other times by himself.

Today he was by himself, and he was surprised when only Ichigo showed up. He hadn't created any Chimera Animas, and was planning on fighting with just his swords.

When Ichigo showed up alone, he asked, "No teammates today?"

"Don't ask," Ichigo said. "Why do you look like you haven't slept in about a month?"

"Don't ask," Kisshu said. He was starting to feel a bit light-headed.

Ichigo seemed to notice he wasn't feeling that great, because she relaxed her tense position. Then to his shock, she detransformed, and looked at her pendant. "I hate this thing," she said.

"Why?" Kisshu asked.

To his surprise, she threw the pendant at a nearby tree, and it hit the trunk with a 'thud'. They heard a voice yell, "What are you thinking!?" and Ichigo sighed. "That's why," she said. "I get spied on wherever I go. And I can transform without the dumb thing."

Ryou came storming out from behind the tree and asked angrily, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Having a conversation, now get out of here," Ichigo said. "I'm not your slave, whatever you may think, Blondie."

Kisshu was trying to make sense of this, but he couldn't, and the headache he had wasn't helping. When he tried to fly up, though, he ended up back on the ground, his head spinning.

Ichigo noticed, and kicked Ryou where the sun doesn't shine, knocked him out, and came over to Kisshu, who was sitting on the ground. "I think you need to rest," she said. "Come back to my place, it doesn't look like you can teleport right now."

"How far away is your place?" Kisshu asked.

"Not too far from here, and I'll help you," Ichigo said. She helped Kisshu stand up, then helped him walk down the street. She noticed he was getting more and more unsteady, and by the time they reached her house, he was barely able to stay upright.

Ichigo managed to get Kisshu up to her room, and helped him sit down on the bed. "Can you take off your boots?" Ichigo asked.

Kisshu nodded and took his boots off. "You should go to sleep, you look exhausted," Ichigo said. "Do you want me to stay?"

"Yeah…." Kisshu said tiredly. He laid back on the bed, and Ichigo pulled the covers over him. He was asleep almost instantly, and Ichigo felt his forehead, then bit her lip. Kisshu had a pretty bad fever. She went and got a washcloth, soaked it in ice water, wrung it out, and took it back to her room, then put it over Kisshu's forehead. Then she settled down to watch him.

Ten hours later, she was exhausted as well, and Kisshu wasn't waking up, so she dragged out a sleeping bag, and climbed into it, then fell asleep.

The next morning Ichigo woke up to find Kisshu still asleep. Looking at the clock, she saw it was about 11:30. She felt Kisshu's forehead, and noticed his fever hadn't dropped. She went to the bathroom to get another cool cloth, then came back and put it over Kisshu's forehead, removing the other one.

By two in the afternoon, Ichigo was pretty worried. Kisshu hadn't even stirred, and his fever wasn't going away either. _If he's not up by 4, I'll call Pai, _she thought.

_**At 4: **_Kisshu was still sleeping, and Ichigo sighed, then called telepathically, _Pai!_

_When did YOU learn telepathy? _Pai asked.

_Three months ago, _Ichigo said. _Kisshu's at my place, and he has a pretty bad fever, can you come help?_

_Fine…. _Pai said, and cut the connection.

Ichigo waited, and five minutes later, Pai teleported in. "What happened?" he asked.

"Not quite sure; he basically collapsed in our latest battle, and I took him back here," Ichigo said. "He's been sleeping since 2 yesterday afternoon."

Pai looked worried, and put a hand on Kisshu's chest. "I think he's been overworking himself too much; he's still completely exhausted," he said. "I can heal the fever, but after that, he just needs to rest. Stay quiet."

Ichigo nodded, and Pai's hand began to glow. The flush left Kisshu's cheeks, and he started breathing easier. About ten minutes later, Pai took his hand away and sighed. "He just needs to take things easy for a while," he told Ichigo.

"Okay," Ichigo said. "I'll take care of him."

"I was under the impression you hated Kisshu," Pai said.

"I was just too blinded by my previous crush to notice anything else," Ichigo said. "When I found out he was cheating on me, I guess I stopped obsessing over him and started thinking about Kisshu- even though he calls me a toy."

"He just likes the look on your face," Pai said. "He can be so immature."

Ichigo giggled. "He's cute," she said. She reached out, and gently brushed Kisshu's hair back with her fingers. He sighed happily, and leaned into her hand. "That's so cute!" she said happily.

"He loves people playing with his hair," Pai said. "Why, I don't know."

"It feels nice," Ichigo said. "You should let Lettuce do it; then you'll understand why Kisshu and I like it. It makes me purr."

"You can purr?" Pai asked.

"Yup," Ichigo said. "I can also turn into a kitten."

"Can Lettuce turn into a Finless Porpoise?" Pai asked.

"No," Ichigo said. "I think I might be the only one, because I've never seen the others turn into their animal."

"How do you turn into a kitten?" Pai asked.

"It used to be that if my emotions got out of control, or someone kissed me, I'd turn into a kitten, but now I can do it at will," Ichigo said.

"I didn't notice you turning into a kitten when Kisshu kissed you," Pai commented.

"It has to be a human," Ichigo said. "Or some other creature from Earth. Blondie has a habit of pinning me against the wall and kissing me into a kitten. Yet another thing I hate about him. Really, he'd be better off dead."

To her and Pai's surprise, Kisshu asked, "Can I kill him?"

"Wait till you get your strength back," Pai said. "You need to rest; you've been overworking yourself way too much lately. Take it easy for a few days, and THEN you can kill Blondie."

Kisshu sighed. Ichigo put a hand on his cheek and said softly, "I'll be here, k?"

"K," Kisshu said. "Can I have something to eat?"

"What would you like?" Ichigo asked.

"Do you have apples?" Kisshu asked.

"Yeah, do you want anything else?" Ichigo asked.

"No, just apples," Kisshu said.

"Okay," Ichigo said. "Should I cut them up?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure I can sit up," Kisshu said.

"K, I'll go do that," Ichigo said. "Pai, you should stay here until Kisshu's able to fight; Ryou's probably out to get us all."

"Fine," Pai said. "Kisshu wants to form a truce, and I'm beginning to agree. Would you like that?"

"Yeah, Lettuce, Pudding, Moe, Miwa, and I have been planning for a while," Ichigo.

"Who are Moe and Miwa?" Pai asked.

"My half-Cyniclon school friends," Ichigo said. "They said they'd kill Deep Blue's human host when we find out who it is."

"It's the Treehugger," Pai said. "So I guess Kisshu will be killing Ryou, and Moe and Miwa will be killing the treehugger."

"Why can't I kill both?" Kisshu asked grouchily.

"That's greedy, Kish," Ichigo said.

"Mmph," Kisshu said. "Can I have apples now?"

"Sorry, I'll go get that," Ichigo said. She left, and went to the kitchen, then took an apple and sliced it up. She put the slices on a plate, and took them upstairs.

Noticing Kisshu was still lying down, she came over and said, "If I help you sit up, can you eat?"

"Yeah," Kisshu said. Ichigo came over and helped him sit up, rearranging the pillows to support him, then handing him the plate of apple slices. "Thanks," he said, and started eating.

By the time he was finished, Ichigo noticed he was looking sleepy again, and it was getting late. "Pai, you can have the guest room," Ichigo said. "It's diagonally across the hall."

"Thanks," Pai said. "Are you going to bed?"

"Yeah, I'm tired, and Kisshu looks like he could fall asleep any minute," Ichigo said.

Kisshu was having trouble keeping his eyes open as Pai left. Ichigo came over and helped him lie back down, then asked, "Do you want me to sleep with you?"

"Sure….." Kisshu said.

"K, scoot over," Ichigo said. Kisshu obeyed, and Ichigo climbed in next to him. She felt him snuggle against her as she laid back, and soon after, they were both asleep.

The next morning Ichigo woke up at about ten, and saw that Kisshu was still sleeping- and his arms were around her waist. She knew he needed rest, so she stayed where she was, and started stroking his hair gently. He sighed happily, and leaned into her hand.

Pai came in about an hour later, and asked telepathically, _He's still sleeping?_

_He hasn't woken up at all, _Ichigo replied. _And his arms are around my waist; I can't get up without waking him._

_I can wake him up, _Pai said. He tapped Kisshu's forehead, and Kisshu moaned, "Do I have to wake up?"

"No, but you should let go of Ichigo before going back to sleep," Pai said.

Kisshu opened his eyes, and noticed his arms were around Ichigo's waist. Instead of letting go, he pulled her closer, causing her to squeak a bit, and said, "Let's make out! It's a good way to freak Pai out!"

Ichigo noticed he was smirking, and sighed. "Are you going to do anything weird?" she asked.

"No," Kisshu said innocently.

"He'd better not, or he'll get doomed," Pai said.

"Pai, if you're planning on laughing at me, don't," Kisshu said. "I don't want the world to end before Ichigo and I get married."

Ichigo turned bright red, and Kisshu snickered. "Do you like that idea?" he asked.

"Yes…." Ichigo said- then squeaked, covering her mouth with her hands.

"YAY!" Kisshu shouted.

"Kisshu, you can't do that till you're nineteen," Pai said. "You're way too young to get married."

"Thanks for the advice, Grandpa," Kisshu snickered. "So when are you and Lettuce getting married?"

"Kisshu, you're pushing your luck," Pai said. "And Lettuce is sixteen, which means we won't be getting married anytime soon."

"So you are getting married at some point!" Kisshu said. "HA! You finally admitted it! Now you can go tell Fishy you love her!"

Pai was turning the color of his hair, and Ichigo asked, "Kish, can you let go of me?"

"Why?" Kisshu asked.

"Well, I think it's going to be hard for me to protect you if I'm lying down," Ichigo said. "Pai's about to blow."

Kisshu let go as he said, "You should go make Fishy's day and give her that ring!"

Ichigo sat up as she asked, "Ring?"

"Yeah, Pai made this ring out of some kind of yellow stuff, and added a little piece of peridot that he made me carve into a little porpoise shape," Kisshu said. "He said it's human tradition to give a girl a ring before the wedding, and then another at the wedding."

"That's so cute, Pai!" Ichigo said. "I bet she'll love it."

"I agree, so you should go give it to her," Kisshu said.

"Didn't you want to go back to sleep?" Pai asked disgruntledly.

"Not anymore," Kisshu said, smirking. "Can I get up for a while?"

"No," Pai said. "I doubt you can walk yet."

Kisshu's smirk faded, and he sighed. "Is sitting up okay?" he asked.

"Are you able to?" Pai asked.

Kisshu pushed himself into a sitting position, and leaned back against the pillows. "If I'm leaning against something," he said. He looked out the window, and asked, "Why is there a kitten in your tree?"

Ichigo whipped around, stormed over to the window, and slammed it open, then yelled, "Blondie, get out of my tree before I kill you!"

The kitten changed back into Ryou, and he smirked. "I know you wouldn't kill me," he said.

Ichigo snarled, and claws shot out of her fingers. She clawed five lines across Ryou's face, then put one sharp claw against his throat. Ryou went still, and Ichigo said, "Get out."

Ryou backed up, then climbed back down the tree. Ichigo watched him run off, and sighed. "Why didn't you kill him?" Pai asked.

"I thought Kisshu wanted to, so I'm letting him live until Kisshu's better," Ichigo said.

"That's thoughtful, Koneko-chan," Kisshu said. "Thanks."

"Sure," Ichigo said.

"I'm hungry," Kisshu said.

"Do you want grilled cheese?" Ichigo asked. "Or I've got some tuna salad."

"What's tuna salad?" Kisshu asked.

"Tuna fish with mayonnaise and celery, all mixed together," Ichigo said.

"I'll try it," Kisshu said.

"Great, I think I'll have some too," Ichigo said. "Pai, do you want something?"

"Can I just have a cheese sandwich?" Pai asked.

"Sure, I've got cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey Jack," Ichigo said.

"I like cheddar," Pai said.

"K, I'll go make those," Ichigo said. "Stay with Kisshu, I don't want you in my kitchen."

"Mmph," Pai said.

Kisshu sighed as Ichigo left. "Pai, when will I be strong enough to go back to my usual schedule?" he asked.

"I don't think you should go back to your usual schedule," Pai said.

"Why?" Kisshu asked.

"Kisshu, your 'usual schedule' is what caused you to collapse," Pai said. "When Ichigo called me here, not only were you still exhausted, you had a fever that was about five degrees above your normal body temperature. Have you been getting any sleep at all lately?"

"Some," Kisshu said. "But you know I wake up early."

"You should start going to bed early too," Pai said. "You're pushing yourself way too hard, both in training and in battle. I know you like training, but the amount you're doing is starting to affect your health. You realize you slept for 27 hours after Ichigo brought you here, right?"

"27 HOURS!?" Kisshu asked incredulously.

"The only reason you didn't sleep for longer is because I woke you up," Pai said. "You're suffering from extreme exhaustion, and if you keep up what you were doing before you collapsed, your body's going to start breaking down. Is that what you want?"

"No," Kisshu said.

Pai put his hand on Kisshu's chest, then said, "You're going to need at least two more days of rest before you can start training again. And I really think you need to cut down on the amount of training you do. You get up in the middle of the night and start training until six AM. It's just not good for you, Kisshu, and unless you want to collapse again, you're going to have to cut down."

Kisshu sighed. "It takes my mind off my problems," he said.

"Well, now that Ichigo loves you, maybe you can relax a bit," Pai said. "And I'm going to stop listening to Deep Blue, so that's another thing you don't have to worry about."

"Good," Kisshu said.

Ichigo came back, and said, "I made the sandwiches." She handed a cheese sandwich to Pai, a tuna sandwich to Kisshu, then sat down with the other tuna sandwich, and started eating.

"This is really good," Kisshu said.

"Thanks," Ichigo said. "I love fish."

"Cat genes?" Pai asked.

"Yup," Ichigo said. "Did you finish _already_?"

"Yeah," Pai said.

"Jeez, I've never met anyone who can eat that fast," Ichigo said.

"It runs in the family; Taruto's like that too," Kisshu said.

"What about you?" Ichigo asked.

"I'm adopted; I'm the slow eater," Kisshu said. "Everyone else eats so fast I swear you can't even see the food leave their plates. And Taruto eats like a pig. Gobble, snort, gulp. That's what he sounds like."

Ichigo giggled. "I hope Pudding can break him of that habit," she said.

"I doubt it; he's hopeless," Pai said. "Are you going to tell your school friends that they can kill the treehugger?"

"Good idea," Ichigo said, and concentrated, then called telepathically, _Moe! Miwa!_

_What's up? _Miwa asked.

_Aoyuck needs to die, can you handle that? _Ichigo asked.

_Moe and I are on it, _Miwa said. _Anything else?_

_Kisshu gets to kill Blondie, okay? _Ichigo said. _He's going to do it after he recovers._

_What happened? _Miwa asked.

_He's been overworking himself, and he collapsed, so I took him home with me, _Ichigo said. _He needs to rest more before killing Blondie._

_Alright, we'll go kill Aoyuck, _Miwa said, and cut the connection.

"They're on it," Ichigo told Pai and Kisshu.

"Good…." Kisshu said. "I'm tired again."

"Go back to sleep," Pai said.

Kisshu sighed and settled back against the pillows. He fell asleep pretty quickly, and Ichigo settled down next to him as Pai sat down in her desk chair.

Ichigo was about to start stroking Kisshu's hair when they heard teleportation, and Taruto appeared, looking worried. Ichigo and Pai put their fingers to their lips, and Taruto asked telepathically, _What happened? I couldn't find you guys anywhere, so I finally came to Ichigo's._

_Kisshu collapsed from overworking himself, _Ichigo said. _I brought him back here to rest._

_Is he going to be okay? _ Taruto asked.

_He needs to rest for another two days, but he'll be fine, _Pai said.

_Good, _Taruto said, relieved.

They all spun when they heard teleportation, and Miwa and Moe appeared. _Aoyuck is dead, _Moe announced.

_Good, _Ichigo said. _Now we just wait till Kisshu recovers, he can kill Blondie, and then we form a truce._

_Shouldn't you inform Lettuce and Pudding? _Miwa asked- just as Ichigo's cell phone rang.

Kisshu started to stir as Ichigo picked up, and said, "Hi Lettuce, what's up?"

"_Ryou is ranting about how evil the Cyniclons are again," _Lettuce said. _"And he told Mint and Zakuro that Kisshu brainwashed you; you need to be careful."_

"Are they on their way?" Ichigo asked.

"_They just left," _Lettuce said. _"What's going on?"_

"We're going to form a truce when Kisshu's better," Ichigo said. "He collapsed because he's been overworking himself."

"_What about Ryou?" _Lettuce asked.

"Kisshu wants to kill him," Ichigo said. "Pai said Kisshu will be better in about two days; can it wait?"

"_For now, but if Ryou does anything horrendous, tell Kisshu Moe and Miwa have to do it," _Lettuce said.

"Will do," Ichigo said. "Bye!" She hung up and said to the others, "Apparently Mint and Zakuro are coming here; Ryou told them Kisshu brainwashed me."

"We'll deal with them," Moe said.

"Alright, good luck," Ichigo said- just as the doorbell rang.

**I think I'll put the rest in another chapter, k? Review!**


End file.
